Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Whoo Hoo! It's Day 2 of National Library Week! Yes, the Food Librarian is bringin' out the Librarian this week. Thanks for your sweet comments about your library...and I always seem to remind someone to return an overdue book! :)

In the baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie, we are making our way through the Dorie Greenspan book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. It is fun and yummy. For the last couple holiday seasons, we've had an optional gift exchange. This year, my "Secret Santa" was Laurie, the founder of TWD! Yes, all you TWD bakers can be jealous! Serious, how cool is that?

And Laurie gave me the best gift ever! An out-of-print, 1929 cookbook Any One Can Bake compiled by the Educational Department of the Royal Baking Powder Company, New York. As you can imagine, everything has Royal Baking Powder in it! :) The recipes are simple and provide a glimpse of the times. Shortening is in a lot of the dishes...it was cheaper than butter and who knew anything about trans-fats in 1929!

Since the lady in these 1929 photos doesn't have a Kitchen Aid mixer, I figure I shouldn't use one either. So, I pulled out my big whisk and went to town.

This involves beating egg yolks, adding sugar, and pouring in hot milk. Lemon juice and zest add a light flavor. Egg whites are whipped up and folded into the batter. Finally, a bit of flour and baking powder are added.

Topped with macerated strawberries (just some strawberries and sugar but I'm sure some liquor would be nice too). I think the Librarian Action Figure would like that too. :)

And that brings us to today's library thing...Book Sales! Libraries often get donated books from the community (thank you donors!) and weed books in our collection to make room for new titles. Most libraries have used book sales where the public can snap up some bargains. The money goes back to support the library's collection and programs. Ask about used book sales at your local library! You never know what you can find...perhaps a 1929 cookbook!

To celebrate National Library Week, I'm having five days of giveaway!

To celebrate Day 2 of National Library Week, I'm giving away the following to one lucky winner:50 Adorable Loaf Pans

Aren't these 4" x 2" paper loaf pans awesome!? You can make bite-size carrot, zucchini and a host of other breads (I just made persimmon bread and I'll post that later) - perfect for the holidays or a lovely hostess gift. Win a pack of 50 of these oven safe, paper mini-loaf containers (purchased at Surfas in Los Angeles). I gave these away last year too...they are just too darn cute.

To enter the Day 2 Giveaway, simply leave a comment below (one entry per person) and I'll pick the winner from a hat (aka Random). Deadline for all contests: Monday, April 19, 2010 at midnight PDT. If your comment isn't linked to a blog where I can find you, please leave your email. Shipping to U.S. addresses only. Librarian Action Figure not included.

These are my instructions for using a whisk. You can use your whisk attachment on the KitchenAid as well...but you won't feel like a 1929 home economist doing that! :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.1. Separate eggs (it is easier to separate the eggs when cold, but bring ingredients to room temp before using).2. Beat egg yolks with whisk until thick and light colored. Add half the sugar, beat together until light and fluffy.3. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, then the remainder of the sugar.4. Add the lemon and lemon zest.5. In a separate bowl, quickly whip the egg whites until light, soft peaks.6. Fold HALF the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.7. Carefully, but quickly, fold in the sifted flour mixture.8. Fold in the remaining egg whites.9. Pour into ungreased tube pan.10. Bake for 45 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and cool upside down (like an angel food cake).11. I served mine with sweetened strawberries.

I've seen this recipe )or a recipe with the same name) dozens of times and I'e never been able to visualize it. Love the strawberries. The librarian looks like's she's just waiting for the camera to look away to dive right in.

Those mini loaf pans are neat. Today is the day our Friends set up thier book sale. I'm newly the library director so this will be the first time that I participate in the working of the sale. I'm exhausted all ready. But our Friends are looking forward to spending all thier profits on the library.

Hmm I've never baked with mini loaf pans or paper loaf pans before. Do you have to make any adjustments to baking time for baking in paper as compared to baking in metal pans? That cake looks really yummy!

My Shushing Librarian is so happy to see her twin sister is active in the kitchen. It makes her want to start cooking herself, instead of travelling around. Perhaps the arrival of some mini-loaf pans would get her motivated?

Wow, you were so lucky to get the cookbook. This recipe looks fun. How would you describe the texture? When I think sponge cake, I think of the light and fluffy ones at Asian bakeries. Is this similar or does it just look sponge-like?

I looooove library book sales! I get so excited when I see them listed in my upcoming events library newsletter! I always give my son a few dollars and we each expand our collections :P Then spend the afternoon reading together. It's nerdy but fun :D

Oh, please include me in the giveaway!I've got two of my grandmother's texts that I think she both studied with and used as texts while teaching in her Home Ec. classes. I love library sales for books for my own workplace and for BookCrossing!

Looks fabulous! Just in time for Florida strawberry season too (late this year due to an unusually cold winter). Can't wait to try this. Thanks for your wonderful posts Mary. ~Marina P.S. Yea for national library week! I'm a medical librarian and love to bake too!

For Christmas last year, my stepdad gave me a reprinted version of The Blue-Ribbon Cookbook, which was originally compiled by Louisville caterer Jennie Benedict (the lady who invented benedictine). It was originally printed in the late 1800's, and I love looking through it. And I'm so glad that I don't have to cook on a wood stove. Old cookbooks are wonderful!

Oh, that is a lovely cake...over the holidays I had my mom pull out on old recipe that also used the shortening and whipped egg whites technique...It makes for such anice textured cake...I'd love to win the little loaf pans...

YUMMMM! i want those cake tin things.. i just relocated to LA and well.. don't have any baking pans - i'm silently going nuts in the kitchen without them... if the library figure doesn't come with it... i want the small collection of books on the side.. SO CUTE!

Well, I just sitting here at the reference desk and learned about you blog. Wow! Have I been missing something! Is it polite to drool at the reference desk? Bread pudding, cream filled chocolate cupcakes, warm milk cake, oh my! Something tells me I'm going to be a devoted follower :-)

What a neat book! This cake is very different from those I've made in the past, I'm excited to try it out! The cardboard pans are very cute too - it seems all miniture things are cute (this is also true when I compare size 5 shoes to my monster size 10s!)